Swords and Sparks
by GoldenUnicorn19
Summary: Zuko finds Sokka practicing with his space sword, and the two become sparring parters. And maybe something more. A Zukka oneshot set during WAT.


**Swords and Sparks**

For about a week now, Sokka had consistently slipped away after dinner, too soon to be going to bed, but too late for anyone to really pay it too much mind. Zuko, however, found it odd. If it had been him sneaking away, he'd immediately be labeled a traitor. Though, he supposed that wasn't a fair comparison. It wasn't like Sokka had been trying to kill them for the better part of a year.

Eventually, however, Zuko decided to follow him. One night, while everyone was cleaning up after dinner, Sokka discreetly slipped away, heading towards a stairwell that Zuko only knew was there because of the time he'd previously spent in the temple, directly after his banishment. Following the other boy's lead, Zuko hurried to clean up and then sneaked away as soon as he got the chance.

At this point, Sokka was far enough ahead of him that Zuko couldn't easily follow him. Instead, he glanced into every doorway he passed hoping to catch a glimpse of the other boy. He was just about to turn around, having reached the top of the stairwell, when he heard heavy breathing. Confused, Zuko crept up the final flight of stairs and found himself on the surface, in a clearing surrounded by thick forest on three sides, and then the ravine on the fourth. There was a running fountain in the center and, next to it, a bronze-skinned water tribe boy with his sword.

Sokka hadn't noticed the prince yet, so Zuko sat down on the top step and watched, not wanting to interrupt. The moon was waxing, almost full, so it wasn't too difficult for him to see the other boy. He'd never seen Sokka fight with his sword before, and he didn't think he'd had a proper one for very long, but he already moved as if it were an extension of his body. His technique was familiar, somehow, but it was also different from the way Zuko trained with his broadswords.

Zuko watched as Sokka moved in a circle around the fountain, staying light on his feet. He struck out with his sword every so often, avoiding the stone of the fountain and slicing the air instead. He moved with such strength and grace that Zuko didn't think he could look away even if he wanted to. Hell, the forest behind him could go up in flames and he would pay it no mind. Sokka's breathing grew more labored as he continued, forcing himself to move faster and strike harder.

One of Sokka's swings went wide, and the end of his blade made contact with one of the water streams in the fountain, successfully redirecting it into the boy's face. With a surprised yell, Sokka fell back, slipped, and landed on his ass. Zuko laughed, and Sokka finally took notice of the other boy's presence.

"H-how long have you been there?" Sokka demanded, scrambling to his feet as Zuko approached.

"Long enough to watch you hit yourself in the face with water." Was Zuko's reply.

Sokka sighed, shoving the tip of his blade into the ground so he didn't have to hold it while he wiped the remainder of the water off his face.

"What's wrong?"

"What?" Sokka asked, looking up with a surprised expression,

"What's wrong?" Zuko repeated, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Nothing!" Sokka said, a forced cheerfulness to his voice. "It's just a little embarrassing when you spray water in your own face and-"

"Sokka."

The water tribe boy sighed again, letting the smile drop from his face. "Sorry. I've just been feeling… useless, I guess."

"Useless?" Zuko prompted him, uncrossing his arms. He wanted to help Sokka, but he also didn't want to intrude on anything too personal.

"Yeah, I mean, you guys all have your bending and such, and all I have is a sword I've barely trained with. I can't fight, or do anything useful."

Zuko balked. "Sokka…"

"Sorry, sorry," Sokka said hurriedly, patting Zuko on the shoulder. "That was depressing-"

"Can I spar with you?" Zuko cut him off.

"I- what? I mean yeah, if you want to."

Zuko turned suddenly on his heel, heading back toward the staircase he'd come up on.

"W-wait! Where are you going?" Sokka asked, surprised that Zuko would leave without a word.

"It's hard to swordfight without a sword." Zuko said with a glance over his shoulder as he disappeared back into the temple.

"Oh. Right." Sokka said, more to himself than Zuko. Left alone with his thoughts for the time being, he sat down cross-legged next to where his sword was still stuck in the ground with a sigh. Why had he told Zuko that? He had no real reason to trust the prince, and yet he felt more comfortable talking to him about how he'd been feeling than anyone else in the group, even Katara. He didn't get to dwell on it for too long, because Zuko came back within a few minutes, scabbard in hand.

"You ready?" Zuko asked, unsheathing his dao swords and leaving the scabbard in the grass near the steps. Sokka nodded, standing up and pulling his space sword out of the ground. Zuko settled into a fighting stance and Sokka followed his lead, holding his sword parallel with his shoulders and both hands on the hilt.

Sokka was hardly prepared when Zuko lunged forward suddenly, lashing out with both blades. He managed to parry the blows with space sword and a yelp, falling back a couple of steps. Zuko didn't relent, steadily pushing Sokka backward, toward the forest. Forced to be on the defensive, Sokka struggled to find an opening, feeling like Zuko had an incredibly unfair advantage. He hadn't sparred with someone like this since he had trained under Master Piandao, and he could quickly feel his energy draining. He yelled when his heel caught on a rock and caused him to fall hard on his back.

Zuko's blade quickly came for his throat, but Sokka managed to catch it with his own and, since it had been an unexpected move, knock it directly out of his hand. He used Zuko's split second of confusion to leap up and jump away from him. They took a moment to size each other up. Both boys were panting now, and Zuko was down to just one blade.

Zuko had just opened his mouth to say something when Sokka lunged forward, and instead he grunted as their blades collided with a metallic clang. Zuko used Sokka's momentum against him, pushing their blades high, and delivered a quick kick to his abdomen. He went down with a yell, his space sword landing in the grass somewhere nearby. He tried to sit up and make a grab for his sword, but Zuko's blade was at his throat.

"I don't think you're as bad at sword fighting as you think you are." Zuko said as he let his sword fall from the other boy's throat and offered him his hand.

"Are you kidding?" Sokka said as he let Zuko pull him to his feet. "You just kicked my ass."

"You have to remember, I've trained with these swords for years," Zuko said as he picked up the blade he'd lost during their spar. "You put up a pretty good fight."

"Yeah, but I didn't win," Sokka said as he watched Zuko slip his broadswords back into their sheath.

"You will sometime." Zuko said, turning to face the water tribe boy. "For now, it's getting late, and I'm tired. We should go back."

"Yeah…" He said as he sheathed space sword and fell into step beside Zuko. "Wait, what do you mean, 'sometime'?"

Zuko glanced down at the younger boy and then turned his attention back in front of him when he immediately tripped over a loose tile. "I mean, if we keep sparring, you're bound to win at some point."

When Sokka didn't respond, Zuko began to worry he'd crossed a line. "Sorry, we don't have to-"

"No, no, it's okay," Sokka said quickly. "I'd like to do that. Its... fun."

And so they did. For the next week, the two would slip away in the dark after dinner, and spar in the clearing above the air temple. Every night, Sokka would try his best to gain a victory over the prince, and would fail, although he did come close a few times. They started out with just one sparring match a night, but eventually moved up to three. "Best of three." Sokka would say after he lost the first match, and then promptly lost the next two.

Eventually, though, the water tribe boy won.

Zuko had won the first match, as usual, but it had taken him a bit more effort than usual, and Sokka knew it. When the second round started, he waited for a moment, and let Zuko attack first. He deflected the blow easily, now a little more used to the way Zuko used his dual swords. The second attack came quicker than Sokka expected, and he was forced to move back a couple of steps. Still, he couldn't give up the chance to taunt his opponent.

"You're looking a little tired tonight, Jerkbender," Sokka said, still parrying Zuko's attacks. "You think I'll finally win?"

Zuko growled at this and redoubled his efforts. All thought of teasing went out the window as Sokka realized that he was quickly being backed against the fountain.

"Still think you're gonna win?" Zuko taunted as their blades connected, pushing against each other in a standstill that left Sokka trapped against the stone wall of the fountain.

"I think I still have a pretty good chance," Sokka said with a grunt, taking a firmer stance and pushing back against Zuko with all the strength he could muster. He risked taking one hand off the hilt of his sword to reach back into the water and felt their blades slipping with a terrible scraping noise just as he splashed Zuko in the face with cold water from the fountain.

The firebender fell back with a surprised yelp, wiping at his face with one arm. Sokka didn't give him a chance to recover, and quickly used the tip of his sword to trip Zuko, who fell flat on his back with another yell. Before he had even fully realized what had happened, Sokka's blade was at his throat. He blinked up at the other boy in surprise, water droplets still dripping down his face.

"I win," Sokka said, unable to keep the smugness out of his voice as he helped Zuko to his feet.

"Not bad," Zuko said. "I have to admit, that was rather impressive. Now, the real question is, can you do it again?"

He didn't give Sokka a chance to respond, as he immediately lashed out with both swords. His attack was quickly blocked, and Zuko was taken aback when Sokka skillfully used his space sword to pull the broadsword from Zuko's left hand and send it flying across the clearing, well out of reach.

"Probably," Sokka said with a smirk.

With Zuko only having one sword and not a lot of energy left, Sokka was definitely at the advantage, he realized as their fight continued, each parrying the other's attacks. If Zuko really wanted to win, he'd have to disarm Sokka completely.

This was, apparently, also what Sokka had been thinking. As their swords collided loudly in the still night air, both were pulled from their owner's grip. Zuko's, the lighter of the two, was sent flying across the clearing like it's other half had been, while Sokka's space sword landed heavily in the grass not too far away.

The two boys stared at each other for a few seconds, and then both moved at the same moment. Sokka lunged for his space sword, hoping to get the upper hand again, but Zuko tackled him, pinning him to the ground underneath him.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Sokka said, trying to squirm free of Zuko's hold on him. Zuko only held on tighter, pinning the boy's wrists to the ground and sitting on his lower stomach.

"No one said this was unfair. If anything was unfair, it as that stunt you pulled with the water back there." Zuko said, leaning over Sokka so he could properly look at him. "I think I've won this round."

"Hey, I was just doing what I needed to in order to win," Sokka said with a shrug, but Zuko wasn't really listening anymore. He'd realized just how close Sokka's face was to his own, and suddenly, that's all he could pay attention to.

"Zuko…?" Sokka asked hesitantly, and before Zuko could stop himself, he leaned down and kissed him. Sokka gasped in surprise, but kissed him back without hesitation.

Suddenly, Zuko jerked away, standing up and taking a couple of steps backward.

"Zuko?" Sokka asked again, his voice laced with confusion. Zuko didn't respond. Before Sokka knew it, the prince had disappeared, and he was left alone in the clearing.

Sokka didn't see Zuko until the next afternoon, during dinner. They didn't talk, and Zuko refused to even look at him. Sokka, although doubtful Zuko would follow, snuck away to the clearing after dinner was over. He waited for a few minutes and then, when the prince didn't show up, resigned himself to practicing alone again.

For almost an hour, Sokka sparred with the air, feeling strangely empty. He missed Zuko, he realized, as he dropped his stance and wiped away the sweat on his forehead. And not just as a sparring partner.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Zuko!" Sokka said, turning around so fast he almost fell over a loose stone. The prince was standing a few feet away, dao swords sheathed on his back. He looked like he didn't want to be there. Sokka paced toward him, happier to see the firebender than he probably should've been.

"Zuko, what-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Zuko deadpanned.

"You-what? Then why did you come here?" Sokka asked, taken aback.

"To spar," Zuko said, motioning to the sword in Sokka's hand and then the sheath on his back.

"But-"

"Sokka…" Zuko said in a warning tone.

"Fine," Sokka said, easing into a fighting stance with his sword held in front of him. "We'll swordfight. One round. If I win, we talk."

"...Fine." Zuko said begrudgingly. He unsheathed his swords and took a fighting stance, not bothering to take the sheath off his back. They both lunged forward at the same time, their blades colliding loudly. They continued like that for a while, alternating blows and parries. Eventually, the two come to an impasse. Zuko took a swing at Sokka from the side, with both blades, and Sokka caught it with his own. They come to a violent, screeching halt, both pushing their full weight against the other in an effort to get the upper hand.

Sokka looked up and was surprised to find Zuko already looking at him, an almost vulnerable expression on his face. Sokka was taken aback, and Zuko seized the opening, sliding his twin blades on either side of Sokka's space sword and skillfully ripping it out of his grip. Sokka gasped as his sword flew across the clearing and collided loudly with the stone fountain, and then quickly pushed himself out of Zuko's range of attack.

Zuko didn't hesitate to attack again, coming at him with both swords. Sokka dodged, trying to get around Zuko so he could retrieve his sword, but the prince forced him backward, toward the ravine. When he was less than a foot away from the edge, Zuko raised his sword to corner him and end the spar. Sokka, however, refused to lose. He ran at Zuko, who was caught off guard by the motion, and slid along the ground between his legs until he could stand up on the other side of Zuko's body and trap him in a chokehold.

"I win," Sokka said between breaths, and Zuko sighed in both defeat and irritation. Sokka didn't let him go, however, and the prince glanced over his shoulder.

"Let me go," Zuko said, his voice cold.

"No," Sokka said. "You said you'd talk, and if I let you go, you're just going to run away again."

Zuko sighed again, and his shoulders slumped. "You know me too well."

"I'm waiting." Sokka sing-songed. Zuko growled.

"Ilikeyou," Zuko said both too quickly and too quietly.

"What?" Sokka said, his smile evident in his voice. "I didn't catch that."

"I'm in love with you!" Zuko yelled, jolting against the other boy's grip. "I love you, and I'm always thinking about kissing you, and-"

He was cut off by Sokka taking him by the shoulders and turning him to face him. Sokka kissed him like a man starving because, in a way, he was. Ever since the previous night, Sokka hadn't been able to stop thinking about how Zuko tasted of smoke and spices, or the way his mouth was hotter than his own. He heard Zuko's broadswords hit the ground and felt his arms wrap around his waist soon afterward. Sokka nibbled gently on his bottom lip as he pulled away, and then looked the prince directly in the eye.

"Yeah, I love you too."

* * *

**A/N: **Well, it's been a hot minute since I've written anything, but I'm back. And with a new ship, of course.

~Uni


End file.
